| The alleged leader of deadly assaults against foreigners in the Saudi city of Al Khobar tells in a purported interview released yesterday how he and two accomplices escaped from security forces. The version, provided by the man identified as Fawaz bin Mohammad Nashami, contradicts an interior ministry statement and claims that the trio - said to be from the Al Qaeda terror network - had struck a deal for safe passage. The ministry said three of the killers escaped but the leader, one of the most wanted militants in the kingdom, was wounded and captured when Saudi commandos landed on the roof of the building at dawn last Saturday. "It was almost 11:30 at night, the security forces thought we were still in the hotel," Nashami said in an interview released by Islamist sources and posted on websites. In London, The Times newspaper reported that three gunmen were allowed to walk free when they cut a deal with Saudi authorities after threatening to kill more Westerners. |